Reviews : Court Welfare in Action: Practice and Theory
| Author | Mike Day |
| Published date | 01 March 1994 |
| Date | 01 March 1994 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/026455059404100115 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
theory and practice and the book begins
REVIEWS with an historical resume of legal and
social developments m relation to
marriage and divorce. In particular, it
focuses on the sea-change that has
occurred in the last twelve years or so.
Set against this background the book
plots the effect on Court Welfare
practice, both in terms of what court
welfare officers think they do, what they
actually do and what other professionals
experience them doing.
The book is graphic, fair and
comprehensive in its overview of Court
Welfare work and seeks, at all times, to
contextualise the developments in
practice that it observes. The authors
acknowledge and explain the omission of
the views of families but there are
perhaps two other areas of omission:
1. Throughout the book, the authors talk
of marriage and divorce with scant
Court Welfare in Action:
acknowledgement of the increase in
couples living together and having
Practice and Theory
children, who then come to the Court
Adrian James and Will Hay
Welfare Service in dispute over future
Harvester Wheatsheaf, 1993; £12.95 pbk
arrangements. It might have been
interesting to look at how changing
Officials at the Home Office, at this very
patterns in family life have affected, and
moment, are struggling to produce Draft
been affected by, the law relating to
III of National Standards for Family
children and the consequences for court
Court Welfare Work. During Stage I of
welfare officers.
this process they spent two days with
2. Not unconnected with this, perhaps, is
Probation representatives, in an
the failure throughout the book (save in
endeavour to understand current practice
passing comments by court welfare
throughout the country, identify the key
officers themselves) to acknowledge the
issues and locate these within a
influence that thinking about anti-
theoretical framework. In reply to their
discriminatory and non-oppressive
oft-repeated question ’what happens at
practice has had on the Court Welfare
the moment?’ came the...
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